Fabiani plays down Sarri remarks, insists Sarri scouted Ratkov | OneFootball

Lazio unveiled new striker Petar Ratkov on Friday, with sporting director Angelo Fabiani moving to cool Maurizio Sarri’s recent complaints over January business. “Ratkov was scouted by Sarri and his staff.” The 22-year-old has already debuted from the bench against Hellas Verona.

La Lazio Siamo Noi reports that he added: “Let’s treat the ‘not knowing’ Ratkov line as a joke. He watches every match, including European games, and he had also seen Bologna against Salzburg.”

Lazio president Claudio Lotito said: “We followed him for a long time thanks to our scouting department. When Taty asked to leave, we granted his request and immediately identified his replacement.”

Ratkov told reporters: “I’m happy to be here, at one of the best clubs in Italy and among the biggest in Europe. I’m ready for this, for this new challenge.”

“When I heard about Lazio’s interest, I immediately thought: ‘OK, I want to go.’ I want to stay here for a long time, I really hope so,” he said.

“I’m tall, but I’m also technically good. I’d be happy to score goals, but the most important thing is reaching Europe with the team.”

Source: The Laziali